Well done with PSG Danger, unlucky about not going all the way in the ECL but good luck with Man United instead in the future!

Nice post garthy1706, great season you had there with a nice cup-run to add to it. Hope you can manage well in the BSP.

A season which we can look back on with our heads held high, it started of with us welcoming tricky Stoke to Goodison Park. All though a couple of nervous first minutes we managed to take control of the game and secured all three points after two goals from veteran Louis Saha. Going through an injury crisis early in the season, we still were unlucky to be knocked out of the Carling Cup early on away to Bristol City but in the league we kept doing well, with eight points from the first four games. Proving to our fans, just as everybody else that Everton are able to start of a season on the bright side.

It was in the fifth round however, that things started to go from bright to sparkling as we welcomed Arsenal in a match that was to be remembered for long. Despite being down early 0-1, the team performed incredibly and turned it around to win 4-1 with goals coming from Cahill, Heitinga and Baines twice. After holding onto one point away at Stamford Bridge we then did what no one had expected and grabbed a win away to City in Manchester, Cahill being the hero.

We kept the form up, much to our fantastic defence. 18 games into the season we had only conceded 6 (!) goals. Manchester United would brutally put an end to that record and pull us down on earth. Three goals down after 20 minutes, all signed by Rooney, was nothing we could recover from and even if Anichebe scored a marvellous goal our streak were put to an end.

January came, with things being quiet as usual when it comes to Everton, with only Belgian winger Réginal Goreaux joining the team from Standard. More importantly though, no one left. It is to be said, the league was an incredibly tight affair with mostly five teams making a early pull from the rest. Despite the team's defence not being able to reach the same heights as during autumn we still managed to stay in top thanks to victories twice against rivals Liverpool, to the fans delight, and City once again. A somewhat weakened side were sent to the Emirates in the FA Cup and got beaten 3-0, but putting in a decent performance non the less. Reaching the end of the season Tim Cahill was sidelined due to a serious injury, which would prove to be costly. In the 36th round we put in a poor performance to Newcastle, going home empty handed, and then played Spurs at home where we only managed a draw. Last game of the season was against champions Manchester United and with the news of City taking an early 2-0 lead we had no choice but to go all offensive if we wanted to reach that ECL spot, but a team like United know how to take advantage of that, crushing us 5-1. So, a tragic end to a yet fantastic season but a fifth spot will still give us the chance to play in Europe the upcoming season.

The future is positive, with Ross Barkley showing some of his true potential during the season but the economical situation keeps getting worse. During the spring negotiations with a South-Korean business man, with promises of money making the fans droll, was interested in the club but it all ran out in the sand as an agreement couldn't be made. Loosing out on the fortunes awaiting in the ECL was another hard blow.

Scored so many goals, but failed to win the league due to losing to Man Utd and drawing with Liverpool in the closing weeks City were just too consistent mid-season.

League Cup:

Easy win in the end, won the cup both seasons as well now

Champions League:

Revenge for the league! Was a quality game and one we just about deserved to win. Delighted to win it. Beat Madrid 4-1 on agg in the semi finals

Player Stats:

As you can see, Neymar, Torres, Tevez, Sturridge and Lukaku scored loads of goals between them. Mata was outstanding with 31 assists! Meireles was quality chipping in with some really important goals. Starting to see quite a few youngsters in my side now, after I've sold some of the more experienced players. Cech went to City in January for £14m, his replacement being Courtois! Cole and Alex have agreed to leave on free transfers, ready made youngsters to replace those 2 in the squad.

We started our first season in League 1 as one of the favourites to go down and so our one and only objective for the season was to avoid relegation, but being predicted 22nd, would mean that out job would not be easy at all. We started with a few transfers at first and we managed to make these transfers over the course of the year:

Spoiler:Transfers

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Spoiler:Transfers

Bouzanis was brought in to rival Jake Kean in net who was loan to us from Blackburn. Counago and Etuhu were major purchases and they both slotted straight into the first 11. I was hoping for the same with Shabani Nonda and Tresor Kandol but they two only managed 3 goals between them in 43 games they both played, so the less said about them the better. Gary Jones, Simon Hackney and Reece Gray were sold to try and give the club of a bit of money incase we did get relegated but we manage to get some more quality players in. Najdi came in alongside Issa Issa and the two Lebanese players started slow but Najdi managed to make the left back spot his own whilst Issa Issa was only played four times to poor affect. Marc Sol was our first buy with money as he came in for £24K. He was a current under 19 French centre back so I had high hopes for him. Florent Aziri came in next as the German slotted into the left wing as Kelvin Etuhu moved into attack alongside Pablo Counago. Amezrine Mustafa was the next to come in and he was in a class of his own and just a month after arriving, he was given his international debut for Morocco. Kelly Youga was the last main player coming into the club as he slotted into the back four with ease as he carried valuable experience.

Now onto the League. The first part of the League campaign was a very stop-start one with a win being followed up by a few losses, and then another win, etc.. Kelvin Etuhu, Pablo Counago and Jean-Louis Akpa-Akpro were in good scoring form but we were letting in too many goals. Then, around October-November we hit a rough patch and struggled to get any points at all. Kelvin Etuhu was out for three months with a hip injury and Nonda and Kandol were awful upfront. Nicky Adams stepped up a little bit but the three goals in three League games were the only ones he scored all season. Kelvin Etuhu was back at the end of December and we managed to go two games unbeaten as Etuhu and Counago combined to beat Hartlepool at home. A thumping result against Leyton Orient came as Akpa-Akpro continued his good form as Etuhu and Counago got on the scoresheet too, our fortunes began to turn...slightly. However, in the JPT, Fa Cup and League Cup, we were not up to scratch, we managed to beat Preston in a 7 goal thriller in the LC before bowing out to Sheffield Wednesday, whilst in the other cups, we were eliminated straight away.

Spoiler:First Half of The Season

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Spoiler:First Half of The Season

The second half of the season began with a bang as we got two wins and a draw in the next three games as Etuhu hit good form. Jason Kennedy and Joe Thompson began to get into the team more after good performances and they even pitched in with a few goals now and then. Towards the end of the season we went 7 games unbeaten as we edged out of the danger slightly only to be brought back into it with Carlisle and Tranmere hitting top form with just a few games left. A 2-2 draw against Hartlepool secured us survival but a final day loss shoved us down a place as we finished 20th out of 24 teams despite at one point being as high as 16th during our unbeaten streak.

Spoiler:Second Half of The Season

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Spoiler:Second Half of The Season

Spoiler:Final League Table

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Spoiler:Final League Table

There was a fierce battle inside the team to become the top scorer though as Jean-Louis Akpa-Akpro, Kelvin Etuhu and Pablo Counago all were very close but Etuhu finished slightly down as his injuries kept him out of action too long. Akpa-Akpro scored 13 in the League whilst Counago scored 10 and Etuhu netted 9. Counago did score 3 in all competitions but JLAA scored one too as he edged out the Spanish striker for bragging rights. Jean-Louis finished as the top African goalscorer in the League and he was also the third top African goalscorer in all of England which made Rochdale fans very happy.

Spoiler:Jean-Louis Akpa-Akpro

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Spoiler:Jean-Louis Akpa-Akpro

JLAA impressed me this season and at first he wasn't going to be used much at all. Using him so much is probably thanks to Nonda and Kandol flopping so much. Jean-Louis will be playing a key part next year but he will have to work hard again to keep his place in the starting eleven.

Spoiler:Pablo Counago

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Spoiler:Pablo Counago

Pablo Counago came into the team with a lot of pressure on him and he duly delivered. He contributed a lot with goals and assists and he was one of the first players on the teamsheet every game. He's getting on a little bit now but no doubt he will future some what next season.

Spoiler:Kelvin Etuhu

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Spoiler:Kelvin Etuhu

Kelvin was a super buy for us and it's surprising that he even came to us at all. I can't help but think that if he would have avoided his injuries then he could of topped Akpa-Akpro at the top of the scoring charts for the club. He will be an important player next season but it maybe hard to keep him.

Spoiler:Jason Kennedy

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Spoiler:Jason Kennedy

Thanks to a great latter half of the season, Jason finished with the highest average rating out of the whole team. He contributed very well and his goals were vital. He'll be the main centre midfielder for us next year providing I don't get any good bids for him.

Spoiler:Kelly Youga

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Spoiler:Kelly Youga

A late edition to the team, Kelly did well and I knew he would after his great performances at Charlton previously in his career. Kelly will be a main part of the team next year as he can play almost all across the back four.

Thanks garthy1706, but I don't think that winning the EPL is that close yet! Unless that Korean man comes back with a bag full of money. Hopefully I can defend my top 5 position the upcoming season. And cheers Star of Spurs, I'm happy you liked the flags!

Nice season there Stu, and look like you made some great piece of business with replacing Cech. Lets hope you can get past City the next season.

Well done avoiding relegation Pro King, liked your post! Hope you can build onto this and place yourself even higher the upcoming season.

Thanks Drachbo, this season will no doubt be just as tricky but I should be looking at a top half position if I want to progress with Rochdale.

I too like flags so your post was a huge breath of fresh air. Vose looks like he could develop really well. I had him for Spurs on last years game and he was putting in great performances in the League, IN THE FIRST SEASON!

After winning the league with Eastleigh last season I was preparing the squad for the season in the Blue Square Premier and to make sure they stayed up. Then the board decided to sell Jamil Adam for £150k to Huddersfield. I tried my best to find a replacement but couldn't so decided to retire as I thought I wouldn't be able to keep them up. I just waited for the right job to come along and then in the beginning of October Northampton Town sacked there manager as they were 2nd from bottom in League Two. I was the favourite for the job and so I applied and was offered it within the next couple of days. I was fairly confident of keeping Northampton up.

League Two and Fa Cup

I started off my reign as Northampton manager with a loss to Bradford. After that though we went on a 5 match winning run to get us out of the relegation zone and safely in mid table. I tried my best in the FA Cup to go on a good run again but was beaten 3-1 at home in the replay to Chesterfield. That eased the fixture congestion for us though. We had a few good wins after that which ensured we went into February in the play offs.

We were beaten easily by Wrexham and Notts County early on, and then by AFC Wimbledon and Accrington, but a 9 match unbeaten run at the end of the season ensured we got into the play offs and finished 3rd. We would play Wrexham away and then at home for a place in the Play Off final. It would also give me a chance for revenge for the 4-1 loss.

Play Off Semi Final

The first leg off the play off semi final was a nervy affair for both sides. Wrexham scored first to make it 1-0 but then we scored a few minutes later to make it 1-1. Then Wrexham scored again soon after to make it 2-1, but we equalized within minutes. Later in the 2nd half we made it 3-2 but in the last few minutes Wreham grabbed an equalizer. The 2nd leg was much better for us and a 1-0 win ensured we met Colcheser in the play off final.

Play Off Final

What a game it was. We went 2-0 up within the first half an hour. Then Colchester grabbed one back before half time. I tried to bring another defender on to shut up shop but it backfired as Colchester grabbed a goal to level the match. However in the 5th minute of Extra Time we scored what proved to be the winning goal as the match ended 3-2 which mean Promotion to League One.

A late edition to the team, Kelly did well and I knew he would after his great performances at Charlton previously in his career. Kelly will be a main part of the team next year as he can play almost all across the back four.

When? I'd forgotten he existed, he hadn't play for two years

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"True revolutionaries do not flaunt their radicalism, they cut their hair, put on suits and infiltrate the system from the inside" - Saul Alinsky

A late edition to the team, Kelly did well and I knew he would after his great performances at Charlton previously in his career. Kelly will be a main part of the team next year as he can play almost all across the back four.

When? I'd forgotten he existed, he hadn't play for two years

Meh, he's amazing! You must have not been watching him beasting at the back!

But thanks mate, Counago is a real gem but I've made some good transfers in pre-season so he'll have to work for his place.